Thought I already put a long post up on this, but it must've been in a different group or a previous life.

So let me put this topic to rest again.

The Quantum and the QPro have only three things in common:

1) They're both sport kites made by Prism
2) They share part of a name (BIG mistake on my part!!)
3) The sail panel layout is similar

The QPro concept came about as I was messing around with early versions of the Quantum. I really loved some things about the way the Quantum flew, with its rock-solid tracking and predictable feel. I also loved the look in the sky. I had plans for a new high-end design for 2004 and thought gee, I bet the Quantum would be awesome with some nice stiff tapered spars and a lighter polyester sail. I figured QPro would be an appropriate name and I was confident it would be a slam dunk.

Boy was I wrong.

I built one that way and it flew like a steaming heap of dung. Tracked and tip stabbed like crazy, but other than it performed like a kite designed in the stone age. Didn't flare, didn't backspin, didn't MLS, didn't roll-up, didn't do anything that makes flying fun for me these days. But it sure looked great in the sky with that minimalist color scheme and the more complicated reinforcement pattern. I really wanted the kite to work but it just didn't. (Skeptics, frame up a Quantum sail in SkyShark and you'll see what I mean).

So I scrapped the thing and started from scratch, keeping only the sail graphics because I think they're cool and they create an effective airfoil under load. The new sail planform was larger, deeper, higher aspect, and had significantly less leading edge camber. The frame proportions (spar lengths and positions) and bridle are completely different as well. I built somewhere between 50 and 60 different versions of the sail over 12 months. When you go from a very flexible frame to a very stiff one, you fundamentally change the shape of the entire wing. The Quantum was never designed to roll up or do Euro tricks, but the QP needed to do them easily, necessitating a very different shape and balance as well. Had I realized that sooner (duh, what was I smoking?) I would not have leaked and committed to the Quantum Pro name as soon as I did. As it was, the final release came 10 months and hundreds of R&D hours later than planned.

So now it sounds like there are skeptics asking me to justify the price; I'm trying not to be insulted but I suppose it's my own silly fault for leaking the project too soon. Hopefully you'll all get a chance to look at a QP up close at some point; performance aside, those who value build quality and attention to detail will not be disappointed. There's no question that if I could build 10,000 in China the price would come down, but the reality is that we enthusiasts who appreciate the tweaky stuff are a small crowd that's not getting bigger, and we have zero clout when it comes to economies of scale.

I hope that clarifies my intentions with the Quantum Pro. It's the first kite in a long time that's gotten me excited enough to go out flying kites in my personal spare time, purely for the fun of it. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Oh, and let's just call it the QP from now on, OK?

-Mark